Knitted or worked textile material, that is to say so-called knitted fabric, is usually dyed or otherwise wet-processed in rope form in various suitable machines, such as for example winch tubs, jet, overflow or similar processing machines and apparatus. With all the differences in the said types of processing which derive from the particular system and apparatus used, processing in rope form predominates.
In particular, if such relatively sensitive knitted fabrics are to be subjected to dyeing in rope form, then a number of problems occur which lead above all to loss of quality. The main problems are the movement of the material, the distribution of the dye (product distribution) and the material quality.
The problems with the movement of the material in the processing apparatus result from material stoppages, looping points etc. The causes can lie in unsecured transport of the material at low processing temperatures, knotting of the rope of material in a storage and resting zone, and also in fundamental transport problems with extremely light or extremely heavy qualities of material and in the influence of foam, auxiliary agents used in dyeing and other chemicals.
An even and rapid distribution of the dye is crucial for a good degree of uniformity of the dyeing, but this can not be satisfactorily achieved when working with the material in rope form (for example with known methods and apparatus approximately two to five circulations of the textile material--corresponding to approximately five to fifteen minutes--are necessary in order to distribute the dyes necessary for the dyeing and other products approximately evenly on the same material).
All processing machines have a direct influence on the quality of the material to be obtained. For example, if one assumes an average processing time of approximately six hours and a circulation time of two minutes, then the textile material must pass approximately one hundred and eighty times through the transport arrangements, liquor supply arrangements, the material store etc. Because of the resulting rubbing against the material there is an undesirable roughening and slubbing of the material surface. Furthermore, a continuous crushing or squeezing of the material which is assembled into rope form occurs, which has a negative influence on the optical appearance of the surface thereof.
For textile material in the form of woven lengths, which are generally considerably more robust than knitted fabrics, it is also known for this textile material to be dyed, washed, rinsed etc. discontinuously in open width.
Because of the differences between knitted fabrics and woven materials based on their structure and technology, the methods and apparatus used for woven materials in the known constructions cannot be satisfactorily used. For example, it is not possible to dye knitted fabric of relatively unstable dimensions in a known conventional jigger.